We Are Nobodies
by Celestial Moon
Summary: When that boy appeared at the doorstep, I had figured he wouldn't last long. But I guess I wasn't expecting him to actually become one of us, either. And by that, I mean a dead, nonexistent being that was alive in a sense. [Complete sum. in profile!]
1. Blood Marks the Spot : Prologue

**AN: **This is pretty much a random story I've had on my mind for a while. It isn't that I'm leaving my other story to rot, it's just I've hit a block and need to get rid of some of the stuff on my mind because I keep getting the same things in my mind. So...I actually like this story right now, even if it is just the prologue. lol Umm..soo...yeah...enjoy? Please, **R&R**. I love reading reviews, no matter how pointless. :) Honest to god. Well, the story is mainly revolving around Axel and Roxas, so don't expect much of any other pairings. Sorry!!! (There will be implied Zemyx, but that's about it. lol)

**Axel PoV  
**

_(6139 words) _(This is simply what the story holds, not including the AN/AEN)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own KH/KH:CoM/KH2 in any way, shape or form. Nor do I own the characters. Or anything related to them. Only the story line, thank you!

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"Hey, Roxas.." I clamped my hands on the boy's shoulders, grinning at his fallen face in the mirror in front of him and the chair he was sitting on. He looked so broken and lost, but all I could do was tease him around a bit. I held no pity for him. I held no remorse for him. I held no emotions for him at all. But he was the only one who had piqued a major interest in my mind compared to the rest of the group. Oh right..the rest of the group. I still hadn't shared him with them. In other words, I hadn't done a proper introduction. 

I guess now was better than never. I reached behind me and grabbed a beanie off of the dresser, pulling it over his messy blond hair. The dark gray hat matched his mood, and seeing as his clothes were bland in color, being just a black shirt and gray cargo pants, it matched that as well. I couldn't blame the kid for not wanting to be seen. Who would want to be a somebody when all somebodies did was pretend? They were pretty much nobodies trying to be more than a simple shell. And that's where our group comes into play. We accept being the nobodies. We like being our 'empty and stranded' shells of the world. It meant we were unseen and we could get away with anything.

"Let's go, kiddo. You've got some people to meet," I said, interrupting the silence. He didn't lift his eyes from his reflection. Great, now he wanted to be stubborn. I slipped my hands underneath his arms and hoisted his lethargic body from the chair with little help from him. Once on his feet, he purposely slacked and I had to hold him up. But my patience only goes so far. I simply let him fall back into the cushioned chair and glared at the boy. "I get that you're really depressed and angsty about what happened to ya, but can you at least push it aside until you meet the rest of the gang?"

Finally. He looked away from his dull blue eyes and up at my figure reflected in the mirror. I had to admit, I was too thin for my height, but I was a growing boy who was really active. Could I be blamed for it? Actually, I blamed my genetics. No normal person could be so tall and so thin at the same time. My hair was another major opinion to discuss, but that topic I strayed from. It was natural, point blank. Period. End of story.

"There's a good kid!" I said on impulse when he stood. I clapped a hand on his shoulder and began to lead him out of his secluded room. "Ok, so don't freak out when you see these guys. They're weird for a reason, got it memorized? I guess I can already trust you not to make a snood comment, either. You seem like a mute, anyway..."

And it was the truth. During the day and a half he'd arrived at our doorstep, he hadn't uttered a single word. When I'd asked for his name, he simply handed me a piece of paper with his name on it. Not even during one of his nightmares would he produce a word. Alright, so I'll break down just a bit and say I'm sorry for the kid. Just a little. I'd feel sorry for myself if I was always tossing and turning at night, having nightmares. Actually, I would bet I'd be screaming my head off it was really bad. But he just took it and moved restlessly without uttering a single sound. But he was perfect. For the group, anyway.

The walls of the hallway I guided him down were painted a deep red and the carpet was a bright, clean white. I honestly didn't like it, but whatever. I wasn't the designer of the house. If I had been, everything would have had a flame design all over it in multiple colors. Well, maybe just a few. Like orange, yellow, red, green, blue and white. They all fit nicely to be a flame color.

We reached the polished cedar wood stairs, which only took us a whole two minutes to walk down, and finally arrived in the living room. I was rather happy a few people were there, although I was half expecting everyone to be doing something or gone MIA at this time of night. I cleared my throat loudly enough so I didn't have to do it again and earned a few glances. A couple of them did a double take when they saw the kid, who only reached my chest, by the way. I honestly thought he'd be a midget if things continued like this.

"Hey guys. Here's the infamous ghost you've probably seen around the house. His name is Roxas. I'll let him do the honors of telling his story later. Right now, I promised introductions. So go back to whatever you were doing and act like we don't exist in the room right now," I greeted lazily. "All right, so you see that guy on the couch which his nose glued to the book? That's Zexion. He's the 'emo' looking guy, but he hardly cracks any emotions. He's like a blank blackboard. But he does enjoy reading and sometimes has earphones stuck in his ears to drown out the world. It's typical."

He had followed my finger to the smokey gray couch where the boy sat. I shared the basic information, about how he was seventeen and stuff. His story would come in time when he felt like sharing it to the kid. It just wasn't my place. The next pair I pointed to was a man with sandy blond hair and a mustache/beard mix and a another with unruly dark brown hair and a huge muscular body. Both were sitting at a small round wooden table, cards scattered on top. They were both much older than most of us, but it was all right. I guess they could be called our 'parental guidance' or whatnot.

"That's Luxord. He's a big card player, probably the best out there in the world. But he isn't recognized for it because he doesn't bother. We're all the same here, so don't be surprised if I repeat myself on the whole nonexistent thing. My only warning for him is this: never play a game for stakes; he'll win and you'll regret it. The guy he's playing against is Lexaeus. He's the brute of the pack. If you ever get into trouble, run to him. He'll look after ya." I began guiding Roxas around slowly, maneuvering around the house to see how many others were here.

We'd reached the kitchen and there was our oh so 'exuberant' cook. Using the most dangerous of utensils a kitchen could hold. "That's Xaldin. He's the main cook. And to be honest, you don't want to be in the same kitchen as him. He's pretty dangerous with those butcher knives and stuff. Take it from me as a personal note," I informed him with a smirk. He actually looked up at me and I saw a spark of curiosity in his eyes. "I'll tell you a story later. There's still...people..to meet." I hadn't meant to pause, but I had to think for a moment to replace the original word. It would click with him sooner or later.

I guided both of us out of the kitchen in case Xaldin decided to put his wrath upon us for intruding in the preparation for dinner. So the next choice was upstairs or to the back patio. And seeing that the kid was staring at the back sliding door, the back patio was our next destination. I slipped it open and glanced outside to be greeted by our silent hyperactive member. Well, usually he was hyper. But when night came around and he was itching to get outside, he was rather mellow. And he had the weirdest of hairstyles. But I guess having a mohawk/mullet mixture made him unique. Everyone knew it was him once we spotted that blond hairstyle of his.

"Hey, there, Dem." My voice startled the young musician, but he collected himself quickly and flashed us a bright smile. "Just showing the new kid around. This is Demyx, our talented sitar musician and singer. He's usually hyper, but you really don't want to be around to be his target. He doesn't leave you alone for hours on end sometimes." I was shot a hot glare my way, but I gave him a reassuring grin that it was only a joke. He huffed and turned back to the railing, looking out over the silent city. Oh, did I mention he liked water a lot? And it was raining. Lucky him, eh?

Well, he wasn't going to entertain us with his music any time soon. So I pushed the boy back inside decided to go back through the kitchen and living room. Upstairs only held the attic, in which Zexion occupied when he wasn't elsewhere. "Well, kiddo. Marluxia is usually found tending the garden, which is out back through the kitchen. There's Xigbar, too. He's usually found perfecting his gun skills out front with the targets. He's a real sharpshooter," I said as I lead him back down the blood red hallway. "Vexen is just randomly popping up everywhere. He's not real friendly, so don't try and strike a conversation with him. He gives _everyone_ the cold shoulder. And then there's..Larxene. She's a bit of a sour grape, but dependable at times. Just don't get on her bad side, ok? Then you're on a hit-list you'd never get off of."

Once back to his room, I let him go ahead and stood at the doorway. The tour was pretty much complete. It had been short, but good enough for me. If he was lost, he could always ask. Oh, I guess I forgot a couple of people. Can't do that!

"Before I forget, there's one very important person you need to know about. Xemnas. He's like the group leader, I guess you could say. Just don't get in his way either. He's way worse than Larxene could ever be. And if he asks for you personally and sends somebody to get you, you're in deep shit. But don't try running, that makes it worse," I said, finishing with the truth. Poor me had to go and make a big deal about getting in trouble for.. a certain event. I'd suffered a worse consequence because of it. "And Saïx, well.. he isn't so important. He's more like the dog of the group, but you still want to listen to him. It'll make his ego inflate, but oh well. He sucks up to Xemnas to stay on his good side, unlike the rest of us."

He didn't respond, only sat in that chair again. But his dull oceanic eyes were glued to the ground instead of the mirror. I leaned a shoulder on the door frame, pondering what I should do. I had told the kid earlier I'd tell him a story, but I didn't have the words to make it lively enough. Plus, I doubted it would even stir an interest in him. He was like a lifeless fucking doll with nothing better to do than give one emotion once in a blue moon and sit in a chair all day. I swear, kids these days have really drowned themselves deep in their self pity or something. This wasn't entertainment.

"Well..if you need anything, you know where everyone is. Or something close to it," I muttered before leaving Roxas alone in the room.

/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/

5 Days Later

/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/

"Demyx, I swear to god, if you do **not** get that damn bottle out of my face, it will meet the side of your head in a very friendly greeting you'll never forget," I said, every word dripping with venomous sarcasm. He waved it once more in front of my face, the clear contents inside swishing around from side to side. I kicked a foot against his chest, sending him sprawling onto his back against the floor easily. I grinned as he looked at me with wide blue eyes, then to his empty hand where the alcoholic beverage once was, but then busted out into a fit of laughter seconds after. He was such great entertainment during these parties.

And by these parties, everyone was lively. Even Zexion, who, as everyone knows, is usually moping about with a book glued to his face or his face glued to the window. I don't blame him, or anyone else for that matter. They didn't have the free will like I did. I was chainless during all hours of the day, which gave me the benefit of persuading the boy to get comfortable with his new surroundings. Except, that wasn't going to easily. He still hadn't uttered a damn word. So instead of having him hang around us all the time, I had conjured up a plan.

It was simple. Almost as simple as paying kids to be nice to him and become friends. Except, minus the money and add something else, like hypnotism. But nobody needed to know about that. Anyway, it worked like a charm. Hence the reason why we were partying tonight while Roxas was out with his new buddies. Hopefully they'll have more luck defusing his muteness.

"Luxord, you cheating bastard! I demand a replay!"

I glanced over at the usual poker table, eying the trio sitting there. Luxord, for one, had a fantastically huge grin on his face. Marluxia, the flower boy, had an emotionless mask on his face as the event unfolded before him between the older blond and Xigbar. I shifted in the plush cushioning of the raven black chair I was seated in and leaned over the armrest to watch the drama.

"I didn't cheat! You simply suck at playing poker. Now cough it up," replied Luxord to Xigbar's earlier outburst.

"The hell I am! The day I give you my beloved twin pistols will be the day I die," he retorted sourly. Luxord simply leaned forward, a smirk gracing his face. Yes, it graced his face because the old man rarely _smirked_. He always had that sly grin.

"I think you've made the worst comment of your life, Xigbar," said Marluxia. Both men turned their eyes upon the younger boy, Luxord returning to his grinning and Xigbar raising an eyebrow in confusion. "By saying that, you're overdue in giving Luxord his property. I hate to say it, but you're already dead. Unless you've forgotten completely..." And then Xiggy went stiff and looked as if he was about to explode in anger. I laughed out loud as soon Xigbar jerked himself up from his seat and stormed away. Poor guy. Never knows what he's getting into.

Ten minutes after that display and everyone was fidgety and restless. I knew what was going to happen at midnight tonight, an aching five minutes away. The tension in the house was so thin that it could have been shattered to pieces by a sharp whistle. Too bad I didn't fit in with the rest of the crowd. I just wasn't cut for that part. Along with my chainless freedom, I regarded myself as an outcast compared to their creative lust. But enough about the crappy emo-lusting difference of me and the gang.

Eventually it was midnight, and a few minutes after it, a few people started filing into the house. One was a young silver haired youth, another was a brunette girl (I swear her hair was close to a deep red..), and the list continued. Each of them ranged from the ages of sixteen or older, which was a good thing on our part, I guess, in some odd way. It was never fully explained to me.

While everyone got cozy, I disappeared from the crowd. In fact, I took the very spot Demyx was usually sitting when he needed a place to think and be depressive: the back patio. I leaned against the metal railing, one foot propped up on the gleaming silver. The night felt really good, honestly. It was much better than being in a stuffy house.

With a light sigh, I pulled out a pack of cigarettes from the back pocket of my jeans, which were categorized as 'girly jeans' by Demyx. (Too bad that limp noodle couldn't degrade someone, even if his life depended on it. Why? Because he wore the same kind of pants a lot more than I did.) Marlboro Lights had to be a savior. I didn't go for the hard tacky stuff, although I didn't have much to sacrifice for it. I was unaffected by the cancer sticks. I simply smoked them when I felt a little stressed or pressured, like anyone would.

After four cigarettes, a dozen unanswered thoughts and thirty seven minutes, the last thing I had counted on was the disruptive noises of things being tossed around and doors being slammed. Taking one last drag of my current cigarette, I flicked it over the edge of the patio and stepped back inside and went downstairs quickly. Zexion and Demyx were busy sucking each other's faces dramatically in the kitchen, obviously oblivious to the sudden violence I was hearing. Once I'd reached the living room, however, I gritted my teeth sharply together.

Roxas wasn't supposed to be back. But there he was, one hand against the wall of the hallway and staring at the scene before him. Xaldin had his face buried into the neck of a brunette boy, no doubt a victim he'd set his eyes on from the minute he'd walked through the door. Xigbar and Marluxia was practically ravaging the silver haired kid I'd seen earlier, paying special attentive favoritism to his wrists. Luxord, Lexaeus and Vexen also had their own little friends to occupy themselves on. Xemnas was still missing, no doubt being followed by his faithful dog, Saïx. But I still didn't have a connection as to what the sounds had been. Or where Larxene was, for that matter. She never missed these nights.

Confused, I made my way over to Roxas, stopping in front of him as I crouched down slightly so I was face to face with him. I couldn't help it if the little bugger was short. When his eyes didn't move or show a hint of anything at all, I patted him lightly on the cheek. I was rewarded a hiss and he sharply jerked his head back from me. I straightened my posture, wishing I had a cigarette right now.

"Hey, kiddo. What are you doing back?" I asked him. He simply looked up at me. And it dawned on me that there was a slight haze in his eyes and a little confusion showing that meant only one thing. "How long have you been here...?" I reached out and tilted his chin up slightly, my eyes grazing his neck. Nothing. I let out a brief sigh of relief, breaking the tense silence he was giving me. But there was a nagging at the back of my head that I shouldn't be relieved at all. Something was wrong in the way he was acting.

My eyes flickered over his head to see a certain girl sauntering down the hallway, a slim smile on her face. No doubt did she have something to do with his behavior. As she went to move around us, I reached out quickly and pulled her close. I narrowed my eyes on her and only her. "What the hell did you do?" I bit out. I usually had control of myself, but when I was in an extremely foul temper, my own personal fangs couldn't hide themselves. A bad habit, I suppose.

"Like any other hungry _person _would do, Axel dearest," she replied smoothly, tilting her head downward slightly as she regarded me in her peripheral vision. I hissed angrily and tightened my grip on her wrist.

"If you broke the Superior's second rule, you'll be banned and forced to fend for yourself."

"I know, I know. 'Rule 2: If one comes to the sanctity of The Nobodies, members must dispose themselves of temptation,'" she stated boredly, rolling her eyes heavenward.

"And ru-"

"'Rule 3: If a possible new member arrives, original members must give the welcomed guest approximately 168 hours to ponder their decision. If not answered within that 168 hours, action can be taken.'"

"And it hasn't been 168 hours. So you better hope that you stay on my good side or else the Superior _will_ know you fucked up bad," I said lowly. A sly smile crept onto her face and she finally turned completely to look me in the eyes.

"But Axel, didn't Roxas come to us on a Sunday?"

"No, he came to us on a Monday. Why?"

"I believe it was a Sunday. 11:53 p.m. Before midnight. And today is Monday, _after_ 11:53 p.m. of Sunday. If you can't calculate that, then it **has** been 168 hours."

I watched her walk away as she slipped her wrist out of my grasp. She was right. Roxas had come to us on a Sunday night. I had the job to care for him for a day and a half, which left us at Tuesday afternoon. And skipping all the bull and grit between, it had advanced five days later already and it had passed midnight, leaving us at Monday. Damn her. Gritting my teeth together, I turned back to Roxas. He was now leaning against the wall, his arms loosely over his stomach, and his eyes seeming glossier than ever. I grabbed the kid up and carried him to his room, closing and locking the door behind me.

As soon as I let his feet touch the floor, he fought against me, pushing at me like I was going to beat the living shit out of him. "Hey, Rox, stop it! Calm down!"

"Who the hell are you people?!"

I stopped in the midst of our struggling, staring in disbelief. He'd _spoken_ for once. I didn't know why it had to amaze me so much. Hell, maybe I should be amazed more often because the pitiful blows he was aiming toward my chest became nonexistent.

"Who are we? We're nobodies. We don't exist anymore because..well, we're dead. Actually, we're the living dead, but you can't express much logic with that." He didn't talk, but he stopped his assault on me and just stared. Fear was a big key emotion I could see. With a soft sigh, I looked up at the ceiling, wondering how I was going to explain everything. "You've seen vampire movies, right? Well, some of us used to be people and some of us were born this way. Let me tell you.."

His fingers suddenly grasped my black shirt tightly and I broke eye contact with the ceiling to look at him. His face was void of almost all emotions, pain and confusion being the only two that were plastered on his face. And here it goes... Larxene was going to get her ass kicked sooner or later. Hopefully the latter.

As I eased Roxas onto his bed as best as I could, I couldn't help but frown. The poor kid. He didn't know what was happening, but he didn't like it, and it definitely wasn't going to like it later when he woke up after all of it. I spoke to him even though I knew he couldn't really hear me. Nothing existed but the clenching pain and the boiling feeling he was getting in his stomach. But I wouldn't know about that personally.

"Anyway..when people get changed, they go through this process. It's really painful, obviously, and it takes a little while for it to be completed, but once it's over, you get to rest for a little while. Your organs just kind of have to die or something and get reconstructed so you can stabilize your system as a living dead person. Heh, sounds weird, right?" I had pulled the chair from in front of the mirror and sat in it next to the bed. I didn't feel like standing, honestly.

I rested my chin in the palm of my right hand, watching as he began to squirm restlessly on the bed. His face broke from its plastered emotions and showed searing hot pain. He jerked onto his side, letting out a cry of pain as he buried his face into the feather-down pillow. I swiftly grabbed his shoulders and turned him onto his back again. I knew if I let him go the way he was, he'd eventually suffocate himself. He had no particular control over his body when it was changing like this. After about ten minutes of him trying to kill himself with a pillow and trying to fight me off, he finally came to rest. He was sweating lightly and his breathing was a little ragged; he was managing pretty well. But this wasn't the end. Oh no, far from it.

When Roxas looked at me with his baby blue eyes, I found they were a little brighter than usual. They showed more of..him, in a way. I offered him a short smile, but he began scrambling for the side of the bed seconds later. Already ahead of him, I held up the wastebasket nearby and he grabbed onto it like it was his only lifeline. And then he made the noisy act of throwing up. Another basic while changing. Since he only needed to live on blood, he didn't exactly need all that crap in his stomach like a normal human would. Eating simply came and went for us as a way to get subdue our human side we hadn't gotten rid of, and that took a long time. For some of us, at least.

When he was finished, I handed him a handkerchief I'd pulled out of my right pocket and he wiped his mouth clean and laid back on the bed. I wished it wasn't so painful for him, honestly. I had no big feelings for him. I was just a heartless dead guy. But he didn't deserve the change, at least not like this. I even debated on giving him some of my blood, seeing I was the only special one. And by that, I was born from a human who had been bitten. Yeah, like Blade from those movies. I was a 'daywalker.' I had some gut feeling that if he was still in the middle of changing and he had some of my blood, he'd be able to keep some sort of himself after all of this. It was logically possible.

My thoughts were short lived when Roxas began convulsing again, this time more violently. I struggled to hold him down and eventually I had to actually crawl on top of the bed to pin him down. This time it only took about seven minutes or so, but it took a lot more out of the kid. He was sweating profusely at this point, gasping for breath. He had one more fit after this, and it was the most painful and longest. And then after that, he pretty much threw up whatever was left and he was free to rest as long as he wanted. Looking over the kid, I noticed his skin was paler than before and I knew he needed something to sustain himself. I ran my tongue over my sharp canines in thought; I didn't have time to fetch anyone else, plus I didn't want anyone else to interfere. Too many people could cause panic and it would clash with his change.

I didn't bother climbing off of the boy. Instead, I just sat myself between his legs and looked at my wrist resentfully. I even had to admit I was beginning to be a broken record to myself, but I honestly wished I didn't have to do this. In fact, I wished he hadn't even stumbled onto our doorway. Now that he was going to be one of us, we were going to file away his history. It was another rule the Superior had; he hated not knowing about us. But that didn't matter at the moment.

Without wasting another second, I scraped a fang over my wrist, leaving a small gaping wound in its wake. Gently, I leaned down so my elbows were comfortably resting on the bed and turned my wrist toward his mouth. His eyes were closed, hiding the glowing baby blue beneath. I pressed my slashed wrist softly against his lips, letting him get used to it. Once he had the taste in his mouth, he practically latched on like a breast feeding baby, sucking greedily at the blood. Lucky for me he hadn't acquired his fangs yet or it would have been hell getting my wrist back from him. Once I'd given him just enough to get him through this last fit of pain, I sat up, and licked my wrist; another thing we got was the ability to hide our bites-that is if we wanted to. We had a special agent in our saliva to help speed the process of healing, which was awesome.

And then I waited. And waited. And waited some more.

Then his face gave way and I held tightly onto his shoulders to pin him to the bed. Maybe I shouldn't have given him so much because he was a lot stronger with his struggles and I had to fight fiercely to control him. I hated the pained cries I was hearing throughout the whole ordeal, and the fact I'd realized he was crying made it even worse. Damn it all to hell, Larxene was really going to die, and die permanently.

After fifteen minutes, he finally subsided from his struggled fighting and jerking. But sobs still racked the poor kid's body. I let out a tired sigh and climbed off of him and the bed, holding the wastebasket for him. He instantly turned toward it, grabbed it, and once again threw up noisily. It turned into dry heaving, and then it was done seconds later. Completely done.

Exhausted, he collapsed back onto the bed, letting his eyes flutter shut. I wiped his face off with the handkerchief then tossed it into the wastebasket. No use in keeping that nasty thing. I patted his hand lightly before standing, but before I could actually move away, he had latched onto my arm and was looking at me with the brightest, clearest blue eyes I'd ever seen. They were completely different compared to the day he'd arrived and the past week he'd spent with us thus far. I flashed him a smirk to reassure him.

"I'll be right back, kiddo. I'm not even going to leave the room," I said aloud. He instantly relaxed and I disappeared into the bathroom nearby. A second later, I emerged with a cold wet rag and resumed my seat next to Roxas, but this time on the bed instead of the chair. I gently wiped away the sweat on his face, realizing that he had fallen into a light sleep while I had gone. Well, couldn't desert the kid now. I had to stay and make sure he was okay when he woke up. And that would be another six hours of good rest if not more.

Glancing at the digital clock on the dresser, I noticed it was almost two in the morning. I estimated I'd carried him into the room about one o' clock or so; everyone else must still be partying or doing some weird things, like usual. I couldn't blame them. Forgetting about them, I rubbed at my eyes and yawned. Although being a vampire had its advantages and all, exhaustion did make a good part of still being partly alive. Carefully, I stretched out on the bed, laying opposite of Roxas so his feet were in my face. Well, actually it was only to my chest, but the point is taken. Anyway, I feel asleep seconds later.

/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/

11 hours later

/x/x/x/x/x/x/x/

I didn't wake up the way I wished I had. I mean, I would have been fine if he was sucking blood out of me like a mosquito. That gave me purpose to beat him down a little and set him straight. But with him slamming doors and going into hysterics, I wasn't too fond of it at all. But nonetheless, I got up and went over to Roxas, pulling him into a half hearted embrace.

"What's wrong?" I murmured oh-so-affectionately in my husky tired voice. His fingers were clinging desperately, clutching then letting go so they could just grab at another spot on my shirt. I glanced down at him and took in his appearance. His clothes were disheveled a little, as was his hair, and his eyes were shining brightly. But fear was yet again the main motion visible. And then it clicked: he was up and running about in broad daylight. So it _had_ worked. Perfect!

"W-what the.." he stuttered, pausing to gulp for air. "What happened? What the hell am I? What did you do?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down, kid. What are you talking about?" Man, now he was talking a lot. Maybe he should panic more often!

"She's **dead** because of me. Tell me what I did!" Tears were streaming down his face, leaving little trails behind that hinted his face was dirty with a light mask of dust and dirt. After a quick examination, I also noted that there was thin trail of blood streaming from the left corner of his mouth.

"Okay, well.." I guided him to the bed and forced him to sit, but his hands clasped onto one of my arms. "Explain to me what happened first." This wasn't going to be good.

"I..I just went out for a walk. I wanted to hang out with Hayner and Pence and Olette today..but..I saw this girl. She was really pretty and...and I just wanted to talk to her! _I swear it_!" I rubbed his hand lightly, nodding tiredly. "Then..we were walking and stuff, and before I knew it, she was just laying on the ground of the alley and there was blood everywhere. I just..ran. I panicked. I didn't know what to do."

Shit. "Um..It's okay. Just calm down a little." He looked up at me in dismay.

"Calm down?! I **killed** somebody!"

"And people are killed every day, Rox. Seriously, take a big deep breath and let me talk," I growled. He did so and I took a deep breath of my own to calm my temper. It was on the brink of snapping. "What happened was normal. Don't look too deep into it. Just..next time, wake me up and take me with you. I'll teach you all you need to know. Right now...how much blood was there?"

"A lot. I just panicked as soon as I saw it and just...ran. I left her there to bleed to death." I nodded.

"Well, from now on, you stick with me. Wake me up if you need something, no matter what time it is. Okay?" He nodded, eyes dropping to the ground. He must have been crying his eyes out. And he was probably hungry. Eh.. "Come on, let's rest for a bit. You're probably still tired from last night."

"What happened last night?" he asked quickly, eying me suspiciously.

"I molested you," I said sarcastically, rolling my eyes. His eyes grew wide at the comment and I couldn't help but laugh lightly. "I'm just kidding. You'll understand soon."

As soon as he curled up on the bed, already half tired, I took my seat next to him and coaxed him with a few words, sort of putting him in a light trance. His eyes were already closed at this point and I quickly opened a wound on my wrist and let him drink the sustenance he would soon learn to know and accept. No matter how hard he fought it. A few seconds after, I cut him off abruptly and closed the wound, letting him fall asleep completely as I got off of the bed. I hated to admit it, but now I was connected to the brat, whether I liked it or not. And right now I was extremely light headed and needed my own breakfast thanks to him. Damn kids and their bad luck and reckless behavior.

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Sooo...lol! I like doing that. Anyway, I'm suffering from sleep deprivation right now. Because I couldn't sleep earlier and when I continued to work on this, I couldn't stop. So I'm going to bed after I put this up. I hope you liked it. Or something like that. Yeah. Night:) 

_**Dreaming of a sexy vampire Axel,**_

_** Moonie -luff-  
**_


	2. Insomniac Thoughts : Ch 1

**AN:** Hah, so I finally got the next one up. This is actually the first chapter, since the last one was dubbed 'prologue' just to clear it up. As a side note, I might be making more references to the Blade movie series since I watched all of them again the other day. I'm obsessed with them, I swear it. Anyway, enjoy the story. :)

_(**5286 **words)_

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Goth.In.Shorts  
SilentSorrows

**Reviews**

**Faye Silo:** hehe, thanks, FayFay:) This is just a side story, so it's going to be more slow on updates than the other one (maybe. Not sure yet, because I've got some ideas on the side for this one.) Plus, I have to keep my mind on track when writing it because Axel is supposed to be this badass vampire. lol I love it. Anyway! Must not babble on too much. The story awaits. Read. -heart-

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The kid cracked me up. Since day one of his change, which was three days ago, he did nothing but refuse that he was something nonexistent in the world. He refused he was a bloodsucker of life. I couldn't blame him. I didn't like that term anyway, but there was no way to deny it: that's what we were. 

Since his mind was still on a one-sided track of human, he refused to go out or even listen to me when I tried to tell him he needed to 'feed.' Thus ending with me putting him into a half trance at least twice a day to give him some of my own blood to keep him alive. Oh, and did I mention he went back to being a mute? Yeah, he still talked once in a blue moon type of deal, but I got the feeling he was coming around and getting used to all of us. Or maybe it was just me because he barely uttered a word around the others. Larxene especially; he clams up like a deer caught in a pair of headlights and literally clings to me like I'm some life support line. Again, can't blame him but there. She was a nut-case. Well, she still is, but that's besides the point.

During our next 'party' after that significant one, I was sure to lock Roxas up in his room. Not only to keep Larxene from her new blood toy, but because it would scare the boy shitless, no doubt. I knew well enough he wasn't ready to see a bunch of teens willingly give their life source to the living dead again. What can I say? I suddenly felt like I know him like the back of my own hands.

Sad to say, that was my downfall. Because I had admitted to myself that I was no doubt connected to the kid, I'd found that I had to be his caretaker, since nobody else would do it and do it right, until Xemnas decided to show his face to the group again. I don't know about the others, but I absolutely hated when he did that. It just drives me insane because he was the one who had made the group and got us together, but neglects the proper responsibility to lead us. Or maybe it was my own humanity making me think that from way deep down. I'm older than most think.

My 'age' was what brought me to where I was now. I had used that same exact sentence with Roxas in hopes of explaining how long I'd been unseen to the humans.

"Then teach me," he had retorted lightly. His glowing baby blue eyes had turned upward toward me in a challenge. "Teach me to be like you."

The question had thrown me back a bit in my thoughts. And then curiosity hit like a fifty ton brick. How old was this boy, anyway? How did he end up on our doorstep? Why didn't he talk after all this time? Where was his family? Did he have siblings? Where did he live? What the hell was going on in that blond-haired head of his?

"You don't want to be like me, Rox," I replied around the questions in my head. "You don't want to be like any of us."

Nonetheless, here we were in the middle of Twilight Town, being as casual as we could. Well, as casual as he could, actually, if you could call him clinging to my arm casual. I was rather used to going out in the midst of the humans.

"Look, there you go. She looks pretty and stuff," I said, pointing to a girl with waist length black hair and deep hazel eyes. She stood over twenty feet away, but being all supernatural and stuff, you get great benefits. "Just go and talk to her, lead her around a bit, then go to a dead-end alley or something. It should come naturally, unlike last time. If you think you have a problem, just come look for me. I'll be around the area, I promise."

He glanced up at me hesitantly, almost unsure. But I forced a grin onto my face to reassure him, jerking the arm he was holding onto forward. His fingers slipped from their grasp and he stumbled forward, then began toward her. At that, I quickly left him to advance on his target. If I lingered, he'd get scared and turn tail before even trying. That wasn't exactly the goal we both had in mind.

I headed down Market Street with no place particularly in mind. I wasn't one to really hang out with people or create friends, although I did know people. And of course, they knew me. I wasn't surprised when I found myself in a familiar little area of town where stalls and stands were set up, almost similar to a small black market. Too bad it wasn't really a black market; this town was a little too...pleasant, for lack of a better word.

"I take it you're suddenly babysittin' for someone, Axel?" I turned with a true grin on my mouth to look at the man who had addressed me. He looked scruffy for a partly successful..newspaper person, like usual. And he still had that annoying five o' clock shadow on his face.

"You could say that, Cid. Anything new lately?" I asked.

"Nope. They're still tryin' t'figure out the mystery of that one girl. Her name 'scapes me," he said, tapping his fingers in a rhythm on the wooden counter top of his newspaper stand. I arched a thin brow, giving him a few seconds to think about it. When he failed to speak up, I shook my head lightly and smirked.

"Naminé?" I offered.

"Yeah! That girl. They found two puncture wounds in her neck, but still haven't came up with a logical explanation as t'how they were caused."

"Oh really, now. What do you mean 'logical?'"

"Well, they have this crazy notion that it resembles vampire bites or somethin'. Crazy, right?" he said with a smug smile on his face. I flicked my tongue against my left canine tooth, still slightly sharper than a normal human's when I wasn't using them. It was funny how humans always thought their little world was perfect. When they didn't think something was right or if something didn't fit in with their standards, they marked it as 'fantasy' or 'unreal' rumors. Little did they know their stories and myths could be true.

"Yeah, definitely crazy, Cid," I replied, letting a calm smirk slide across my features. Alas, he obviously didn't know the sarcasm dripping in my voice. "What in blazes are they thinking of?"

"If I was them, I'd pack up and move t'another place. It's ridiculous to even bring up such stupid theories," he grumbled on, now leaning against his stand.

"Uh huh.." I glanced about the small area out of complete boredom and annoyance. I could only stand so much of this guy, whether he was rambling about the weather or whatever happened the other day. "Well, I have to get running. Other things to do, you know?"

"Better go get that kid you're lookin' after. Don't want him t'get attacked by _vampires_," he said, putting extra emphasis on the mythical creatures.

_Heh, you don't know the half of it, pops,_ I thought as I walked away.

I'd only just turned the corner when a small body collided into my taller one. I didn't have to waste a second of guessing when two arms flew around my waist and hugged tightly. I grimaced slightly. Yeah, I sound like a broken record by saying this, but even though I admitted being linked to him by helping him, it didn't mean I had to get used to some runt being around and clinging to me every moment he felt out of place or was too afraid. So I just simply patted his shoulder lightly and then pushed him away from me.

"Hey, kiddo. What's the big deal?" I asked, fishing around in my jean pockets to find my cigarettes. Once I finally found them in my left back pocket, I stuck one in my mouth and looked at him, waiting for an answer.

"I..." he started as I lit the cigarette. He hadn't looked at me, which was odd. He always looked at me when he had a problem. "I couldn't..do it." Oh, well, that wasn't so bad. I guess.

"Don't sweat it. You'll get it eventually. Here, take this," I said, talking around the cigarette and handing him a little object shaped like a mouth guard. He looked at it quizzically, and even I had to admit it seemed odd. "It's a serum to help control the hunger. I use it every now and then in case something comes up. It tastes really bitter and leaves a sting in your mouth, but after you try it a few more times, you get used to it."

He took the serum inhaler gingerly, staring at it like it was some sort of poison. I rolled my eyes, took the inhaler back, and bent forward after removing the cancer stick from my mouth.

"Open up."

"Huh..?"

Once he uttered that word, I shoved the inhaler in his mouth and covered it so he couldn't remove it or spit it out, then tapped his chin to signal him to bite down. Being the ever obedient student, he did so, but then convulsed backward in a fit and tried to shake his head to remove my hand. The bitterness had an instant effect, I forgot to say. He knew that now, I guess. My bad.

I removed my hand not long before the instance ended and watched seconds after as he pulled it out of his mouth and let it drop to the ground. His oceanic eyes looked up at me, his mouth slightly open. I could see the faint glint of his canines, now sharpened and longer than his other teeth, but he snapped his mouth closed to hide them when he was suddenly aware. His eyes held puzzlement, but I could tell he was also furious that I'd forced him into taking the serum. And not letting him stop. I only gave him a humorless, grim smirk and put the half finished cancer stick back between my lips.

"I hate you."

"I can feel the warm fuzzy bunnies leaping for joy in my stomach. No, I really do," I said sarcastically, smashing the rest of the cigarette against the wall beside us. "But you can't complain for long, because now you don't have find your lunch."

I knew he didn't have a comeback for that. He was like an open book, a person who had no talent in lying or covering up their mistakes. Or in this situation, his feelings. Whatever. I didn't even know how old he was. For all I knew, he was ten years old and was living the life of an orphan who knew no self discipline. And the only way he can get back at me is to give me the silent treatment. Poor him.

So I left him there, walking away into the crowd. I did have other things to do, and if he wanted to be a kiddy jerk, then he would know how the streets went as he wandered around through them. It's one of those 'You win or you lose' situations.

About ten minutes later, I found myself pushing a pair of double doors open to a quaint little house that was painted a beige/caramel color. The walls along the corridor inside were a deeper caramel, almost tan, and the carpet flashed the color of bright green. Although one wouldn't really notice since the house was practically pitch black. He wasn't like me, or Roxas for that matter, being able to live in daylight. But that was the reason why he and the rest of the vampires of our little group boarded up their personal houses, if they had one, so they could at least move around if they had important things to do. Except..this one didn't really do much that was important.

Only one person would mix the color of a food with the color of their passion; oddly enough, this person was a fellow vampire that was rarely seen at the main house. He was a person I could trust to hold a few of my thoughts, but not a person I would ensure my life to.

"Hey, Mary, I'm home," I yelled, kicking the doors closed behind me. I was rewarded a sharp sound from the first room on the left, followed by a sharp hiss and the sound of something snapping.

"My name isn't Mary!" he growled loud enough for me to hear. I laughed lightly, making my way easily down the hall and into the room he called a kitchen. To me, it was a slightly bigger version of a bathroom, minus the toilet and shower, plus a shabby table with two matching chairs, a rundown refrigerator, and a small trash can. I leaned against the door frame and watched as he pulled out the remains of what I presumed to be a plastic fork. I was proven wrong once he jerked it out, revealing that it was, instead, a spork. I should have known-Marluxia ate his beloved passion practically, and preferred he ate every scrap.

"If you like plants so much, why do you eat them?" I asked aloud in a sport to tease him. He shot me a dirty look and pulled out another of his plastic utensils and continued to eat his human lunch. I even noted that he was straying from his usual dark, leathery clothing and wore a pair of black/gray jeans and a white tee. Gotta love Marly for wanting to be normal. There was no way to blame him, since he was a vegetarian before he was changed. It had taken the guy a while to get used to the fact that if he wanted to live, he had to drink blood. He didn't know about the serum simply because I had been the one to find out about it; I wasn't willing to share because the information would soon be passed on and then linked to Xemnas. That'd really be a big chunk outta my ass.

"I'm not eating _my_ plants. I'm just eating for the sake of humanity. I still hate the fact I even took part in another party.." he retorted, muttering the last under his breath almost.

"Well, it isn't like you wanted to. It's just the fighting instinct you keep holding back. The more you refuse it, the more it's going to force you to do stuff involuntarily. Especially when people purposely cut themselves to lure you guys into it."

"How come you don't get the urge when you smell their blood? You just hightail it like a beaten dog."

"Let's put it this way. I'm different. I was never like the other guys. Some of them may be born a vampire, never seeing the light of day and all that, but that actually makes it easier. They don't get the bloodlust as bad as the ones they change, since they practically refuse to give in to their newborn entity. Some do, but that's because they gave up on life," I said lightly. We'd gone through this argument before, but never really delved into it with details. "Marly, you were just changed against your will. You didn't have a choice. That's why you fight as hard as you do. That's why the bloodlust comes back on you a hundred-fold compared to the others. Roxas will be no different."

"How is he, anyway? Is Xemnas back yet to interrogate him to the afterlife?" he asked. He had pushed his bowl away at this point and stare pointlessly at the battered tabletop.

"As much as I hate to say it, he isn't doing too well. He still hasn't been able to confront the problem of his thirst; it's like his mind refuses to let natural vampire instinct to take over so he can get the blood and get out of there after cleaning it up and letting the person go. He's improving, because he was able to actually go up to someone. But he came back scared shitless and admitted he couldn't do it. As for Xemnas, I doubt he's back. He hasn't asked for him or sent anyone to get him."

"Ah.." he murmured. "How did he get rid of his hunger then?"

"Just took him somewhere and let him have some of mine, like usual."

"Did you have to put him in that trance again?" he asked as he stood with his half eaten salad. He dumped the remains into the trashcan and set the bowl inside of the sink, not bothering with rinsing it out or even cleaning it. Marluxia was also a clean freak, despite his shabby, rundown house.

"Sort of. I'm really gonna have to work him into his abilities and everything. It's like caring for a newborn kid, I tell ya," I growled lightly, crossing my arms over my chest. "Somehow, I keep wondering why I didn't get somebody else to care for him. Maybe I panicked."

"You think so? I think you just like the kid."

"I'm sorry, Mary. I don't take a liking to something as easily as you do. Like..you and your obsession..I don't get those," I shot back, raising a thin red eyebrow.

"Call me Mary one more time, I fucking dare you."

"Aww. Mary, you know you love me," I said simply. He should have known I was still a daredevil. But then again, I should have known that he was very violent when it came to something he disliked-like my nickname for him.

He took his lunge, his nails just barely missing me. I felt a light sting along my left forearm, but I didn't think anything of it-it was just a scratch, you know? Once in some random rampage of revenge, nobody stopped to think through a plan. I was quick in locking his wrists behind his back and forcing him onto his stomach in the middle of the corridor, a grin wide along my face. He was never much of a fighter like I was. In fact, I could honestly say I was probably born a fighter.

"Don't sweat it, Marly. You know I'm only joking. But you really need to find a better outlet for that anger problem!" I teased, letting him calm down before releasing my hold on his wrists. He pushed himself up, pulling his shirt down to fix the small wrinkles, and shot me a look. "Anger Management. I'm going to set you up with somebody that fits your time schedule. You need to loosen up."

"Yeah?"

I paused in my movement, taking in Marluxia as he stared at me. His eyes weren't as open as Roxas' were, but I could still detect the faint glimmer only a vampire could really see. That attracted my attention to my arm, still stinging with a tingle of pain, but also bleeding. Of course. Being a normal-ish vampire and staying up past sunrise depleted energy quicker and deprived them of feeding, unless they had a stash somewhere in the house. From the look that Marly was giving me, I doubted he had stocked up for it.

I sighed and dropped my arm, but that was a big mistake. A small hiss emitted from Marluxia's throat and he moved toward me in a vampire's grace of speed. I was quicker, though, putting up both arms to block him. His hands gripped both of my wrists tightly, pushing me against the wall with a strength I thought he'd lost from his blood deprivation, and pinned my wrists on either side of me. The breath was practically knocked out of my lungs and I had to close my eyes to knock away the fuzziness that invaded my vision. When I opened them again, Marly was looking at me with a hunger I wish he didn't have.

I wanted to respond to him, to say something to get his wits together, but I found that my voice was lodged in my own throat. Why, I had no clue. I wasn't afraid of him or the position I was in. He wasn't even trying to overpass my psychological aura to weigh me down so he could do whatever it was that he wanted-in other words, a way to put me in a trance.

My eyes followed him as he dipped his head toward my left forearm. His tongue flickered out, licking the red sticky liquid from the wound he had created ever so slowly. I gritted my teeth together, my vision narrowing only to his work on my arm. I didn't look away as he closed it up, leaving no hint of bleeding behind. He turned his clear lavender eyes toward me, a quirky little smirk on his face that creeped me out a bit. What the hell was he up to?

"Axel, has anyone ever told you your blood is pretty sweet?" he questioned. I expected him to let his hold up by now and tested it by wriggling my wrists under his hold. His fingers tightened even more.

"No, Marly. I don't give people the luxury of tasting my blood."

"I'm just lucky, then, aren't I?" He inched his body closer to my trapped one. Why the hell wasn't I fighting this prick?

"Marluxia, get off.." I muttered, glaring down at him. He didn't respond, nor did he listen to me.

"I never told you this, but I have problems of my own. Can you just listen?"

"What..?" I was confused. He suddenly up and tells me this now? In a weird position and everything? What an asshole! We could be civil like normal people. Not act like some weird kinky vampires that people usually involve in their stories and whatnot. I didn't realize that it'd actually happen, let alone to me. And he sounded pathetic, let's not forget that, too.

"Since day one, I liked you, Axel. You had that...that stupid look to you that I couldn't get out of my head and it pissed me off. That's why I never pushed you away, but I kept you at a distance. Yeah, you might say I treat everyone like that, but you were the only one to come to me when you had things to get off of your mind. I felt like I was needed, that I hadn't completely lost my life to some freak accident."

"Mar-"

"Just listen!" he snapped, looking sharply up at me. "I've waited a long time. I was afraid to say or do anything. I still am, but..I don't know what came over me."

"Bloodlust," I said nonchalantly. It was the simple truth, right?

"No.." He shook his head at me and I saw his eyes drop slightly. "It wasn't just because of that. It was just..a lust. It still is.."

I noticed him leaning forward. I noticed his eyes on my mouth like a ravening wolf staring down it's prey. But I didn't notice the slack in his hold on my wrists. I was still scatter-brained from his words. But maybe still sane enough to utter a few nuisance inducing comments.

"I don't feel the same way, Marly. I'm not going to have some freakish kinky vampire sex session with you, no matter how hard you try to convince me."

"I'm not asking for that!" he spat angrily. Wrong thing for me to say. His fingers dug into my skin, his nails biting sharply until it drew blood. I felt it seep down my arms, but it didn't pull Marluxia from his close distance. I was starting to feel a bit nervous and stressed now. Usually I would have myself out of a freak predicament, but now it seemed out of my reach.

I suddenly felt contact, rough but gentle in a way, on my mouth. I brought myself back from the blood dripping down my skin to Marly in front of me, _kissing_ me. I don't have a problem with him in general. In fact, I found him to be a good friend and an excellent outlet. Right now, I should have hated him for what he was doing. But I just stood there and let him do what he wanted. I didn't respond back, however. I was like a robot while he tried to coax me into joining the foreplay.

When that didn't work, he worked his way to my jawline and down to my neck. His hands had finally removed themselves from my wrists, his fingers sliding down my arms across the thick red liquid until he finally raised one to my neck. He moved it along the curve, under my chin, and over my right cheek. I simply moved my head slightly. That movement alone warned me of the sharpness suddenly grazing across my neck and my mind kicked into gear.

My hands worked quickly, grabbing the white tee he was wearing and lifting him off of his feet so I could drop him to the ground. I followed him onto my knees, looking straight down into his lavender eyes when he opened them. I was pissed, yeah. I knew I should have fought as soon as possible, but I was confused at what he had been wanting to get across. Now that I knew, and he didn't heed my warning I'd given him, I couldn't exactly let him get away scott-free.

"Marly, I said I'm not like that. I expected you to continue to be a good friend, a **great** friend. But you sort of passed the boundary there," I said calmly in a monotone voice. I dragged him into the kitchen, propping him against the corner to the left of the door. "I'm going to leave now and forget this ever happened. But if you dare try it again, I won't hesitate to throw you into that blazing sun and watch you burn horridly to death. I've seen it happen before and it ain't pretty.."

I let go of his shirt in a brisk movement and left him sitting in the kitchen as I left the house altogether. I didn't care about the blood smeared over my arms, neck or face. In fact, I was practically running back to the mansion. I felt.._nasty_. It was just weird having him advance on me like that. There was no doubt in my mind that I was definitely taking a shower.

Once I walked through the door of the main house, I was bombarded with silence. A wonderful thing to hear after the bustle of every day life in town. That's saying a lot for someone like me. But I didn't stand there and bask in it. No, I rushed to the bathroom in my room like a starved maniac on a one inch piece of bread. I stripped myself of my jeans and short sleeved shirt as I kicked the door closed, then discarded my boxers when I turned the shower on and jumped in.

The warm water was sort of like a heaven when it slowly began to wash the still sticky, drying blood away from my arms, and my face and neck once I lifted my face toward the spray of water above my head. I glanced down at the water rushing toward the drain, tinted pink from my life source. My life source from other people, that is. Unlike Marluxia, I could live with being the way I was. I could live being the living undead. Unlike Roxas, I was able to face the fact I wasn't going to be able to be normal at a young age, after Xemnas had taken me in.

But what I couldn't get was one thing: why? Why is it so easy for me to accept who I am? Why is it so easy for me to be able to suck the life out of someone else, even if it doesn't kill them? Why is it that I find everything about myself so easy compared to everyone else? I'm tired of these 'why' questions! They _have_ no answers to them, none whatsoever, that anyone could tell me. I was stuck wondering 'why' the rest of my dragged out existence. I wanted to be normal-my mind craved it-but it's a miracle that will never come true.

Heh, I ramble. I always get into myself when I'm in the shower, so out of my mind. Sometimes I feel like staking myself to death or something. But I couldn't. I enjoy my life, no matter how unbearable it gets. Just the facts, I guess.

Once I finished showering, I stepped out and dried myself off. Then waltzed into the middle of my room naked to get a new pair of clothes-hey, it's my room. I have my rights. I just so happened to pick my favorite silky black boxers and pull on a pair of baggy pants, half zipped to keep them from dropping completely to the floor when I let go, when I suddenly noticed that the door had opened behind my back. I glanced over my shoulder, somehow knowing who it was already. Roxas. He was the only person who probably wouldn't knock and the only person who could honestly bother me since the others were stuck in the basement for another hour and a half.

"Hey, Frodo, aren't you supposed to be out looking for your ring?" I asked sarcastically into the air. I wasn't sure if he was paying attention because he looked a bit dazed and lost. "Roxas?"

The boy looked up at me with heartfelt sapphire eyes. I have to be honest with you, they really tugged strings at my heart and made me think back on how rough I'd been with him earlier. No, I'm not going to apologize. Or even be nicer. But I could always give him some comfort crap and stuff. Especially since he looked like he was on the verge of crying.

Which he suddenly did. The tears streamed steadily down his cheeks and he dropped his head down, his shoulders sagged, making him look very much like a marionette doll. I sighed with regret on my words and walked toward him, placing a single palm over his head. I wasn't a kid person. I wasn't a problem solver. I just wasn't good at much at all but dealing with my own stuff. But now I was a babysitter, so maybe I could try a few things.

"Uh..so..what's up?" I asked lamely. He muttered something incoherently. "What?"

"I can't do this. I don't want..to be..this." My hatred for Larxene suddenly raised a few more hundred notches. Force-feeding a human vampire blood, exchanging life source without giving a choice, was the worst way to change someone. She had done the inevitable to piss me off more than ever.

"I'm going to be very blunt and say I can't do much to help you with that. I guess I can help you through it like I did when you were going through your change, but I think that's it. I'm not the Almighty Savior of the Century or anything, you know," I offered. He only responded my clinging to one of my arms, pressing his forehead against it as if it would hide him from the world, no doubt. I knelt down, letting him keep hold of my arm, but obviously he wasn't able to keep persisting on disappearing into my arm. "Are you..hungry?"

"No.."

"Tired?"

"A bit..Mainly scared because I can't live like this."

"You will. Give it time, Rox..."


End file.
